Facing the murderous Knight of the Yangtze, Jizi put on a fawning smile, hoping to muddle his senses.
"Um, actually, I'm an ally!"
Her answer was a fire hydrant smashing down viciously.
"Duang!"
At the last possible moment, Jizi used the Mana she had just replenished to enhance her agility and barely dodged.
"I really am an ally!"
"Duang!"
"I was trying to save that little girl!"
"Duang!"
"Hey, hey, hey! Listen when people are talking!"
"Duang!"
"Fuck you, I don't fight back once and you get addicted to hitting me? Eat my sword—"
"Duang!"
"Big brother, I was wrong! I'm leaving! Isn't that enough if I leave?"
"Duang!"
"This is my entire fortune, 450 bucks in total! It's all yours! Please spare me!"
"Duang!"
"Damn it, even paying 450 doesn't keep me safe? Isn't that a bit too much?"
"Duang!"
"This is murder! I'm calling the cops! The city inspectors are beating people!"
"Duang! Duang! Duang! Duang!"
In truth, the fact that Jizi still had the energy to spout nonsense and make jokes showed that Berserker was not much of a threat for the moment. Having just received Mana from Rin Tohsaka, she could evade with the agility granted by the Assassin class. An enemy without AOE attacks or control abilities had no way to deal with her.
What was more, she did not need to worry about Yanye attacking Rin, so she could act with even greater ease.
But in Rin's eyes, the situation looked completely different. From her perspective, the wounds Aasashin had sustained while protecting her were still bleeding. The hole through her abdomen, pierced by a tentacle, was especially horrifying. Just looking at it made Rin feel unbearable pain, yet she still had to move at high speed to evade the attacks of that black-armored man. The suffering she had to endure was unimaginable.
Those joking words had to be an act, meant to make Rin think she was fine—Sister Aasashin, you've suffered so much.
Rin desperately wanted to do something, but the newly arrived armored man had driven back the previously domineering tentacle monster the moment he appeared. Before that kind of strength, she probably could not even delay him for a single second.
"Damn it!"
For the first time in her life, Rin felt intense hatred for her own helplessness.
But as she wallowed in self-pity, she failed to notice a pair of veiny, deathly pale hands seize her from behind.
"Ah!"
"Kiritsugu! Kiritsugu!"
With her head buried in her husband's chest, Irisviel finally found an outlet for the emotions she had suppressed for so long. Etiquette, reserve, and everything else were cast aside. At that moment, she was merely a woman seeking comfort in her beloved's embrace.
"..."
Kiritsugu Emiya did not know how to comfort his wife, so he could only awkwardly pat her back. Even someone as cold as him did not ask, at such an inappropriate time, what Airi had gone through.
"Kiritsugu, Madam was not harmed. The kidnappers even used highly advanced techniques to treat her."
"Mm."
The Magus Killer nodded at his reporting subordinate, Maiya Hisau, indicating that he understood—and also that they would discuss it later.
That was right. The one who had broken into the cabin where Irisviel was imprisoned was Maiya Hisau, who had been missing for many days. During a demolition operation, an unexpected development had caused her to fall into enemy hands. Kiritsugu had once believed he had lost her, yet she had not only escaped, but also rescued Irisviel.
According to her, Kirei Kotomine had retreated after Lancer arrived. She was then captured by Kayneth's group, but was not interrogated. They merely locked her up casually and provided fixed portions of food and water each day.
Then, just a few hours ago, Kayneth met with her and cast some kind of magecraft upon her, forcing her to go to a designated location. There, she found Irisviel, and the magecraft on her body was lifted at the same time.
Though confused by everything that had happened, she had still decided to save Irisviel first.
As a result, they were finally reunited in the nearly ruined Eizbern Castle.
While soothing his wife, Kiritsugu also analyzed the intelligence Maiya had brought him. Airi had clearly been abducted by Kirei Kotomine, so why did Kayneth know about it? Why had he released Maiya and had her rescue Airi? And had the magecraft he used on Maiya truly disappeared?
Unknown, unknown, unknown! Everything was unknown. Whether it was Kayneth or Kirei Kotomine, their actions and motives were mysteries to him. If an assassin knew nothing about his targets, then his operation was already doomed to fail.
But the Magus Killer had not earned his name for nothing. He had considerable confidence in his own strength. No matter what kind of opponent he faced, he would definitely be able to deal with them!
Just as he always had.
"Rin, it's me!"
The instant Rin was grabbed, she cried out. Although she knew that doing so would only distract Aasashin, human instinct was not something one could overcome just by saying so.
Yet in the next instant, a familiar voice sounded beside her ear. She had not heard it for some time, and it was somewhat different from how she remembered it, but she still recognized it. It was one of the voices she had once most looked forward to hearing—
"Uncle Yanye?"
"Mm, Rin, it's me."
Less than a year had passed since their meeting at the park, but Yanye's voice had aged far too much. It sounded as though it had been squeezed out by violin strings scraping against worn leather shoes.
"It's all right now. Don't be afraid. I'll save you."
Rin turned around then. Because the light was dim and he wore a hood, she did not see Yanye's twisted face. She only felt that "Uncle Yanye" seemed somehow different from the person she knew. But the trust and affection accumulated over so many years remained, and he had said he was here to save her, so Rin did not doubt him further.
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Right, if her own strength was insufficient, she could ask someone else for help.
"Uncle Yanye, hurry and find a way to help her!"
Unaware that Yanye was the armored man's Master, Rin pointed at Jizi and made that request.
"What?"
Yanye had assumed that Jizi was also here to abduct Rin, so he did not understand the situation for a moment.
"She was seriously injured while saving me! She'll die if this keeps up!"
Because Jizi's movements were so vigorous, her wounds were naturally torn open again, and blood splattered all over the ground as she moved.
However, that blood was merely red liquid generated to imitate a "human form," with no practical function. Jizi could also simulate blood with an actual purpose, but it would do nothing except increase Mana consumption, so why bother?
Naturally, Rin did not know any of this. She continued pleading urgently for Yanye to save Jizi, completely failing to notice his complicated expression—well, she could not see it in the first place.
"She's lost so much blood, she'll die! Uncle Yanye, please think of something!"
At last, after choosing his words carefully, Yanye spoke.
"Rin, do you know that person?"
"Mm! She's Father's new assistant. Before this, she also served as our housekeeper, taking me to and from school and protecting Mother and me."
Rin blurted out everything she could think of, especially emphasizing that Jizi had protected both her and Aoi, hoping that this would move Yanye.
Yanye naturally understood that anyone who could endure Berserker's attacks for so long had to be a Servant. He had not known whose Servant she was before, but after hearing Rin's description—Tokiomi Tohsaka's new assistant? Heh. Given the nature of Tokiomi Tohsaka and the local church, she was definitely Assassin.
That nonsense about parting ways with Kirei Kotomine had probably only been a lie to mislead others!
Having figured out the connection, Yanye hesitated. If he let Berserker kill that Assassin now, it would be a tremendous blow to Tokiomi's forces. And seeing Tokiomi suffer was exactly what he wanted!
Yet on the other hand, that person had just been seriously injured by Caster while saving Rin. Taking advantage of her situation seemed rather wrong. Besides, Rin was watching. Yanye could not bring himself to kill someone in front of her.
Knocking Rin unconscious was also an option, but—this was Rin! Aoi, Sakura, and Rin were the last lights in Yanye's soul. Having abandoned everything and with only a little over a month left to live, he had turned himself into neither man nor monster merely so that he could once again play in the park with those three.
Therefore, Yanye could not hurt Rin, even if it was only knocking her unconscious.
"Sigh. Since you helped Rin and Aoi... but only this once."
Sensing her Master's command, Berserker stopped his frenzied assault on Jizi and vanished into spirit form amid a cloud of black mist.
"Are you all right?"
The very instant Berserker disappeared, Rin rushed to Jizi's side and looked at her worriedly. She raised a hand as if she wanted to touch the hole in Jizi's abdomen, yet seemed afraid of hurting her.
"Probably... Anyway, I won't die."
Her body, which had been stretched to its limit, finally collapsed once Berserker left and the situation settled down. Jizi fell backward onto the ground with her limbs spread wide, but she still managed to squeeze out a little sound, showing that she was alive.
Then Kariya Matou stepped forward as well, and Jizi barely nodded to him.
"Kariya Matou? Thank you."
"For Rin's sake..."
Knowing that Yanye meant he would not show mercy the next time they met, Jizi did not resent him. After taking a moment to recover, she added,
"I'll safely deliver Rin to Mrs. Tohsaka. Instead of worrying about her, you should put more thought into Sakura."
"..." Yanye was somewhat shocked. Assassin knew about that too? This was not something a Servant should be concerned about. "Sakura... will be fine."
"Heh, have the worms eaten your brain?" Jizi said, thoroughly exasperated. "Leaving aside whether you can even obtain the Grail, even if you do, how can you guarantee that Old Worm will keep his promise?"
"...He only wants immortality. The Holy Grail will be enough for him."
"And then? Once a magus like Zouken Matou obtains the power of eternal youth and immortality, what do you think he'll do? Do you think he'll spend his infinite lifespan benefiting humanity? That he'll get along peacefully with the Tohsaka Family?"
"..."
"Compared to that, you'd be better off wishing to the Grail to erase him from existence entirely."
"..."
"Why aren't you saying anything?"
"...You're Tokiomi Tohsaka's pawn. Why would you think about my interests?"
"If I said that even an Assassin like me could not stand Zouken Matou's actions—would you accept that reason?"
"Hmph..."
Kariya Matou did not speak again afterward, but Jizi could tell that he had been shaken. Though he could not make up his mind immediately, at least a seed had been planted.
Using all the remaining Mana she had obtained from Rin, Jizi completed some basic repairs. Though she could not fight, escorting Rin home was more than manageable. After having Rin say goodbye to Yanye, they set off toward the station.
They said nothing along the way. Only when they were nearing their destination did Rin suddenly stop, tugging at Jizi's clothes.
"Aasashin."
"Mm?" Jizi crouched down to meet her eyes.
"I'm still young, and there are many things I don't understand..." Rin looked a little awkward.
"So you finally have some self-awareness!"
"That was modesty! And don't interrupt me!" Her shy demeanor lasted only a few seconds before her true nature showed itself again. "What I mean is, even though there were things in your conversation with Uncle Yanye that I didn't really understand... is Sakura living a very bad life?"
Their conversations with Caster and Kariya Matou had revealed certain sensitive words here and there. At the same time, Rin had seen the bizarre sight of the huge hole through Jizi's abdomen healing at a visible speed. Yet she had not asked about any of those things. Instead, she was worried about what kind of situation her younger sister was in.
That gave Jizi a headache. If Rin had asked her what "heroes" or the "Grail" were, she could have bluffed her way through it. But when it came to Sakura... Jizi did not know whether to tell the truth or lie.
She clearly did not want Rin to become too deeply involved in these matters.
----------------------------ps---------------------
PS1. Come to think of it, this book's number of favorites is also quite an outrageous number...
PS2. Happy birthday. You know who you are.
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